Cartons



Feb. 7, 1961 Filed Oct. 25, 1958 D. LEVKOFF CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. iq l; Z

INVENTOR.

Pavid Levkoff @foray D. LEVKOFF Feb. 7, 1961 CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 23, 1958 wat 'aye nited States CARTONS David Levkoi, 8 Linford Road, Great Neck, N.Y., as-

signor of one-fourth to Evelyn S. Levkoff, one-fourth to Henry S. Levkof, and one-fourth to Edith L. Sennet, all of Great Neck, NSY.

Filed Oct. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 769,157

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) This invention relates to cartons, and more particularly to those which are of tray-like formation, such as are employed for containing and displaying tomatoes and other vegetables, fruits, baked goods, candies and many other products.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a tray-like container of this character which will be so constructed that the contents will be cushioned or springily supported and thus protected from damage caused by shocks and jars in handling and shipping the filled containers. It is an object of the invention to provide such shock-absorbing means in a carton that shall be provided with an open bottom so that the contents are visible therethrough to thereby facilitate a complete inspection of the goods.

It is an object of the invention to provide a carton or tray of this character in which the bottom of the carton, while being provided with an open area of considerable size, will be reinforced by several thicknesses of the cardboard of which the carton is made, some of which thicknesses shall be so arranged and disposed that the same will provide hingedly mounted flaps on which the goods are springily supported and which shall serve to support the goods in -a manner to cushion the same during transportation and handling of the filled cartons.

It is an object of the invention to provide a carton or tray constructed as above described and which shall be composed of a single blank of cardboard and which can be glued and set up with a minimum of effort. it isa further object of the invention to provide a carton of this character which can be collapsed into flat formation for shipping and storage.

With these and other objects to be-hereinafter set forth in view, l have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed:

Fig. l is a face view of the blank from which the improved carton or tray is fabricated;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank after the same has been glued and is in the flattened form in which the same is delivered to the user.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view in section of one end of the erected carton;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the carton, the view being taken substantially on the line 4--4 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the erected carton;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the same, and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view in section, showing how the several flaps are folded preparatory to being glued down.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. l thereof, 1 designates generally the blank from which the improved carton is produced. The same is preferably, but not necessarily, composed of a single sheet of cardboard, and it includes a central panel 2 which is longitudinally slotted as shown at 3, to thereby divide the panel into the two side walls of the carton, these side walls being respectively indicated at 4 and 5. Provided in the blank 1 is a longitudinal score or fold line 6 separating the side wall 4 from the bottom wall shown at 7. Extending parallel with the score or fold line 6 is a similar longitudinal fold line shown at 8, beyond which is a closure flap 9 that is disposed on top of the bottom 7 in the glued carton and is adhesively secured thereto as can be seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The closure or sealing flap 9 is brought to the position of overlying the bottom wall 7 when the carton is folded on the parallel lines 6 and 8 and such folding of the blank and the gluing of flap 9 to the bottom 7 brings the blank to the form shown in Fig. 2 in which form it is shipped to the user. In the blank, as seen in Fig. 1, the bottom 7 and the closure or sealing flap 9 are thus lateral wings or eX- tensions of the slotted central panel 2 that forms the side walls of the carton. The wing 7 is of greater width than the wing 9.

The bottom wall 7 as viewed in Fig. 1 is formed with a slit 10 of flattened, inverted U-formation, and such slit 10produces a flap that is generally indicated at 11. At its base, the ap 11 is provided with a longitudinallyextending fold line 12 which extends between and connects the ends of the legs of the flattened U-shaped slit 10. Said slit 10 is completely within the boundary of the wing 7. Said flap, shown at 11, is also formed with another fold line shown at 13 extending parallel to the fold line 12, so that there is provided between the fold lines 12 and 13, a strip portion 14. Between the free edge of the flap 11 and the score line 13 is an area 15 constituting, in the completed carton, a hinged or pivotal free-end cushioning or goods-supporting flap that normally assumes the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The sealing flap 9 also has a reinforcing and cushioning ap generally indicated at 16 and formed along one edge, and said cushioning and reinforcing lap is provided with the fold line 17 so that a free portion 18 is produced between said fold line and the edge of the iiap, and on which the goods contained in the carton are supported, as mentioned with respect to the flap 15. Flap 16 includes a base strip portion 19, located between the fold line 17 and a parallel fold line 20, and said base strip portion is caused to be adhesively attached to the inner face of the sealing ap 9 when folded to overlie the same by the folding of the flap 16 in the manner shown in Fig. 7. The strip portion 19, in its adhesivelyattached position, is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It is to be noted that the flap 11 is folded similarly to the flap 16. That is to say, when the Hap 11 is folded on the score or fold lines 12 and 13 as shown in Fig. 7, the area 14 located between the fold lines 12 and 13, is brought down against the area 21 of the bottom wall 7 Yand is adhesively attached thereto. The portion 1S of the flap 11, like the portion 18 of the flap 16, is allowed toV remain free-end. These parts 15 and 18 are thus hinged at the juncture of the side walls 4 and 5 with the bottom of the carbon and the parts 15 and 18 accordingly project inwardly and toward one another. When the liaps shown at 11 and 16 are folded and glued down as above described, the central portion of the carton will be provided With an elongated, rectangular aperture shown at 22 and the goods contained in the carton can thus be seen through this aperture and inspected by the purchaser.

The end walls of the carton are formed by a construction well known in this art. At each end of the panel as shown at 2 in Fig. 1, is an inner end wall 23, provided with a transverse slit 24 marking the end of the central slot 3. A transverse fold line extends across the blank near each end, as indicated at 25, saidA line being provided in the bottom wall 7 with a slit 26 that is adapted,

when the carton is set up as shown in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, to receive the tab 27 provided on the end of the inner end-wall flap 28. Said ilap 28 is folded down on itsfold line 29 to cause said tab 27 to enter theslit -26 and thus hold the end wall erect. The outer end wall is formed by the aps 30 and 31 provided as 'extensions of the bottom wall 7 and sealing ilap 9 respectively, which flaps 30 and 31 are `brought into overlapped 1position and adhesively united. The diagonal fold lines 32, extending from the opposite ends of the slits 24 to the fold line 25, cause opstanding or erection of the side walls 4 and 5 when the end Walls are folded ,inwardly or toward one another on the fold lines 25.

Y From the foregoing, the structure and advantages of the improved carton or tra;l will be apparent. The same, in the glued and folded condition sliown in Fig. 2 is as delivered to the user. The erection of the carton merely requiresthe movement of the end walls to upstanding or erect position by the folding of the carton on the lines 25. This can be done manually or by machine operation. When the end walls are so folded to erect position, the flaps 28 are then downturned on the fold lines V29 and the tabs 27 inserted in the Vslits 26, thus holding the end walls in their erect position.

When the carton is erected in the manner above described, the flap portions 1S and '16 present free-end pivotal or cushioned supports along the opposite sides of the bottom of the carton, and the goods placed within the carton, such as tomatoes for example, will rest upon and be springily supported by these aps. Since the bottom of the carton is largely of open construction, through the provision of the aperture 22, it is desirable that the longitudinal edge portions of the bottom along the opposite sides of the aperture -22 be reinforced or stiffened. -T his is done by the attachment of the strip portions 14 and 19 to these areas of the bottom of the carton. That is to say, the strip portion 14 is secured by glue to the area 21 of the bottom wall 7, and the strip portion 19 is Y secured to the area 34, the latter area being that located between the fold lines S and 20. By this Aarrangement vthe parts of the bottom wall along the opposite edges of the central aperture 22 will not only be `reinforced by the glued-down strip portions 14 and 19, but will be additionally reinforced and stifened by the free-end flaps 15 and 18. The free-end flaps 15 and 18, extending for the greater portion of the length of the carton, not only add stiieners to the bottom of the carton, but these 'aps support the goods springily and without materially `elevating the goods to any great extent above the bottom of the carton. Y

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough .to cover Vall structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims. y

It is herein suggested that the strip portions vle and 19 be respectively y'adhesively secured t'o the are'as '21 and v34. However, if desired, these parts need not be 'adhesively attached, but may be merely folded down, such as is shown for example, in Fig. 7.

What I claim is: l

1. A carton having side Walls and a bottom, the bottom being composed of a pair of overlapped, adhesivelyunited wings, one of said wings being wider than the other wing, said wider wing being provided with a slit wholly surrounded by the material of said wing, said slit being in the form of a ilattened U-shape thereby defining a first ilap out of the body of said wing, said ap being foldable on parallel lines to thereby provide -a strip adhesively secured to the Wing on which said iirst ilap is formed, the second wing having a second ap extending from one of its edges, said second tlap being foldable on parallel lines, one of said fold lines being located adjacent to the longitudinal edge of the second wing, the second wing when foldable on its parallel fold lines, providing a strip overlying and adhesively attached to the second wing, each of the flaps having a free portion hinged at the juncture of a `side wall with the part of the wing on which the particular ap is formed, said free portions providing hinged supports for goods placed in the carton, the bottom having an aperture located between the flaps, the free edges of the aps being located adjacent to the edges of the aperture.

2. A carton blank having a central panel split longitudinally and centrally to thereby divide it into carton side walls, wings integrally connected along opposite edges of the 'panel for forming a carton bottom, one of the wings being'wider than the other and provided iwth a flattened U-shaped slit wholly within its boundaries to produce a tiap provided at its base with a score line and having a second score line disposed in parallelism to the first score line, the second wing having a flap disposed at and projecting from one of its edges, said latter flap having a score line at its base 4and adjacent to the free edge of the wing on which it is formed and having a second score line arranged in parallelism to said base score line, score lines extending along the edges of the panel and by means of which parts of the wings can be brought into overlapped relation and adhesively united, the flaps being foldablevon their base score lines to bring parts of said aps into overlapped relation with parts ofthe wings for adhesive attachment thereto, the flaps, when being each folded on Itheir second score lines, providing freeend pivotal strip portions for merchandise support, the second score line of each of the aps, when the naps are folded as described, being located at the fold .lines between Vthe central panel and the wings.

References Cited in the 'le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

